* Panasonic has started manufacturing air conditioners in Thailand and will build more in Malaysia; new line can turn out 500,000 units annually - Nikkei

* Panasonic seeks to maintain double-digit annual growth in its Asian appliance business until 2020 - Nikkei

* Panasonic's air conditioner production base in Malaysia will see annual capacity rise by 1 million units to 3.5 million by March - Nikkei Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: